Oceans For Emotions: Thanks for the memories, real or imagined

Simon Peter saith unto them, I go a fishing. They say unto him, We also go with thee. They went forth, and entered into a ship immediately.

John 21:3

With the temperatures of 101 degrees and my being 77 years old, I put together the smart logic of not going fishing. It is just not smart for me to do on this hot August day in Texas.

Then, like any 77-year-old fisherwoman who can't go fishing would do, I went to my Facebook page and found that I was so blessed to have received pictures of many fish recently caught in Sitka, Alaska, by my good friends, Jim and Karan.

Believe it or not, they had on coats as they had their pictures taken showing off huge halibut and many other fish.

I decided that it was a blessing from God seeing all of the fun my fishing friends were having.

Unfortunately, my health holds me back from flying to Alaska and joining them, but my heart tells me I can join them in my mind with my imagination. So, here I go.

In my imagination, we all boarded the boat in the lovely fishing town of Sitka. We were all awake at 5:15 a.m. getting ready for our fishing adventure.

There was so much excitement, my heart was pounding with adrenaline. The sky was just gorgeous as we boarded the boat, and the water was absolutely beautiful. We all got settled in as our fishing guide took us to his favorite spot.

Of course, I was so excited to experience this trip in my mind that I could actually feel the chilly air and smell the fishy smells of this fishing vessel.

I could feel the water sprays on my cheek as the captain took the throttle. The colors of the blue water were amazing, with various shades of purple, pink and gold blending in.

Soon, we reached our destination. I quickly baited my hook and was one of the first fisherpersons to get my line into the water. I can just feel the rod and reel in my fish-smelling old hands as I wait for one of the Alaskan fish to bite.

Then, a fish hits, and I pull back and set the hook. Everyone in the boat is watching as I struggle with the huge halibut for a very long time. As I finally get the fish near the boat, my friends have the net ready to help get my fish into the boat.

There is so much excitement in the air as I get the fish aboard. What fun this has been. Now, I too, get to have my picture taken with my huge halibut.

My fishing friends and I brought back a great catch, and after we returned to the dock, we all celebrated with laughter, and many photos were taken.

That evening, we relived how we caught our big fish. With each story, our imagination and the sizes of fish grew even bigger.

Dear Lord, thank You for all of the wonderful memories You have helped me make at our ocean. Thanks also Lord, for giving us our minds that allow us to make more memories with our imagination. Thanks for our fishing friends who share their photos and their friendship.